look news india
25th August has proved to be a milestone in Indian financial history. Today Unified Payment Interface i.e. UPI has completed 10 years of its glorious journey. This digital payment system, which started a decade ago, has changed the definition of financial transactions in every corner of the country. Now, whether it is a street vendor selling vegetables on the roadside or a high-profile five star hotel, paying by scanning QR codes everywhere has become a part of common life. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also congratulated the countrymen on this historic achievement and while sharing his experience on social media, said that this huge scale and global reach of UPI is a matter of pride for every Indian.
13000 times jump: How transaction figures changed in a decade
Launched on August 25, 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) under the guidance of the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), this platform has created new records every year. If we talk about the figures, while the annual transactions in the financial year 2016-17 were only 1.78 crore, in 2025-26 this figure has increased to more than 24,162 crore, which shows an unprecedented increase of about 13000 times. Similarly, the total value of transactions has jumped by Rs 0.07 lakh crore to nearly Rs 314 lakh crore. Today, almost half of the total real-time digital payments occurring globally occur in India alone, testifying to the country’s strong Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI).
UPI’s scope goes global by crossing borders
The success of UPI is no longer limited to India only, but it has also made its mark at the international level. 11 other countries of the world including France, Singapore, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Mauritius have also adopted this advanced technology. From small merchants to big entrepreneurs, more than 94 percent of small shopkeepers in the country are accepting digital payments today. Record breaking transactions have been recorded through UPI in July 2026 itself, which clearly underlines its growing popularity and trust of the general public.